The jury’s out after a preseason in which Adelman saw improvement but not enough. The Wolves have assembled a roster of offensive-minded players for an offensive-minded coach but must defend at least well enough so their scoring can win games.

In preseason, they were susceptible to their same old issues: They allowed opposing point guards to penetrate the defense with dribble drives and gave up too many baskets in transition.

“We’re just not as consistent and have a sustained effort there as we need to have,” Adelman said. “That was a concern from the start and still is.”